


you had me at 'I loathe you'

by edgy_fluffball



Series: Joe & Nicky - University Profs [2]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Professors, Art Professor Joe, Booker | Sebastian le Livre & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani Friendship, Enemies to Friends, F/F, First Meetings, M/M, Misunderstandings, Nicky | Nicolò di Genova Needs a Hug, Nicolo di Genova PhD, Pre-Relationship, Professor Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, really misunderstandings are the reason they don't talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27040936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edgy_fluffball/pseuds/edgy_fluffball
Summary: Professor Joe al-Kaysani has been trying to get a grant for a research project for years. Enter the young habilitation candidate and new lecturer who snatches the money away from him on his first day at work. It's the beginning of something great, even if it doesn't look like it and takes all of Quynh's matchmaking powers.
Relationships: (eventually), Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Booker | Sebastien le Livre & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Booker | Sebastien le Livre & Nicky | Nicolo di Genova, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: Joe & Nicky - University Profs [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930558
Comments: 43
Kudos: 163





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The real Part 1 of my Professors AU. And no, they won't be together by the end of this one just ... infatuated.

‘Why are board meetings always at lunch time?’ Joe fell back into the chair, pulled the plate with nibbles and snacks closer to himself to secure some biscuits and stuffed them into the pockets of his jacket before biting down on a chocolate one, ‘I’m starving.’

‘Because we’re teaching the rest of the day,’ Andy sat down at the head of the table and thumbed through the stack of papers she had carried under her arms, ‘and you are the one who needs to get back to class earlier than others so stop whining.’

‘Thanks for reminding me, boss,’ he grinned and crossed his arms behind his head, ‘what is on the agenda today?’

‘Not too much, don’t worry, only the new colleague in the English department and the annual grants for the faculty and department projects. Did you hand in your application for the redesigned Renaissance architecture project this year?’

‘You know well enough I did, Ms chairperson-of-the-finance-committee,’ Joe greeted a group of other colleagues coming into the assembly room with a wave and a grin, ‘come on, Andy, please tell me I can do it this time. It’s the third time I’ve applied for the grant, the art faculty really needs the boost this year, we have enough enrolments to compete with the classics and history for once, there is no reason why I shouldn’t be allowed to get my project funded for the art department.’

‘Joe,’ Andy filled a mug to the brim with coffee, ‘you know full well that I can’t tell you. I couldn’t do that three years ago and I still can’t.’

‘Worth a try,’ he leaned back and grinned broadly, giving her a wink, ‘is Quynh coming?’

‘Not sure, there was a modern languages meeting, out of band,’ Andy pulled the nearly depleted biscuit plate towards the table edge, shooting him an admonishing look but pocketed a few pieces of shortbread herself, ‘she might show up, might not, why would I know?’

‘Oh come on, boss, we all know you’re together. You were looking at rent advertisements,’ the door closed behind Booker as he scuffled along the table to take his usual seat in the back where he got out his laptop and opened it, ‘am I on minutes again?’

‘If you insist,’ Andy slid a copy of the agenda down the table, ‘there you go. Did you come over from the languages meeting?’

‘Yeah, the others were following behind. Giving him the tour, basically,’ Booker inspected the biscuit plate, ‘again, Joe? There are no chocolate ones left already, you can’t hog them like that, other people need to eat, too.’

‘Let them eat cake. Or be on time then,’ Joe tossed him a single chocolate biscuit that Booker caught with a huff.

The door opened again and loud laughter and chatter filled the room as Quynh and the rest of the modern languages came in, accompanied by the sun from outside falling into the room behind her back, ‘I bring fresh meat everybody!’

She pulled another man into the room who stumbled a little, eyes darting between the different faces looking up at them as the remaining heads of the modern language departments filed into the room, ‘Everybody, this is Nicky, Nicky, these are the others.’

Joe looked up from his notebook and gave her a little wave. Quynh responded in kind before returning her attention to the lanky, nondescript man who seemed to try and disappear into the wall behind him. He carried a shoulder bag that seemed to have seen better days already, his knuckles white where they curled around it.

‘Thank you, Quynh,’ Andy sighed and pointed at the last free seats, ‘take a seat please, we want to start?’

‘Of course! Joe, give the biscuits back!’

‘Why is everybody on my case today?’ He grumbled but passed Quynh a couple of biscuits from his pocket, ‘I’d like to think I just saved them for you.’

‘Are you quite done being childish? Alright, Booker, that’s everybody for the attendance sheet, want to pass it around?’

‘Of course, boss. Just the usual signature and your e-mail address, if you want the minutes, everyone,’ Booker slid a sheet of paper along the table.

‘Alright,’ Andy looked around the room, ‘now that we can officially start our HOD meeting, I would like to begin with a very special welcome. You should all be aware that we had to refill a position in the English department after Lykon got called away for a research professorship. As fruitful as he was for this institution, we are glad to announce that the selection process is complete and we found an adequate replacement in Doctor Nicolò di Genova.’

Joe followed Andy’s motion and really looked at the young man who had followed Quynh for the first time. He still seemed to be looking for a corner to hide in, his blazer was a little too big for him to fill and he played with the hems of his sleeves, now that he had set down his bag. As worn as his clothes looked, his hair was impeccable with not a single strand out of place. Joe noticed the bright eyes that stood in stark contrast with the dark circles around them, reminiscent of what he remembered to be a distinctive look coming with research deadlines and publications. Despite these obvious signs of tiredness, the newcomer smiled at everybody and bowed his head in a sharp nod.

‘Thank you for allowing me to join the faculty of this distinguished university,’ Joe noticed the accent that tinted his words and was reminded of a couple of students complaining about English lecturers hardly being able to speak the language as the newcomer continued, ‘I hope I can be an addition to this institution and further inter-departmental relationships.’

‘Nicky is interested in many things,’ Quynh interrupted, eyes shining with glee, ‘maybe we can continue all the projects Lykon started.’

‘It certainly would be desired,’ Andy sighed, ‘for now, Doctor di Genova will take over as deputy head of department in English with a few more responsibilities than normal until Professor Burton returns from her maternity leave; it’s no secret that we need to restructure and change the department after the sudden absence of new students, the numbers speak for themselves, after all. Maybe with Doctor di Genova, we can implement a new order in the English department – even without the professorship we put out to tender. Which of course, doesn’t help an already struggling department, we know that. I am still confident Doctor di Genova will be a welcome breath of fresh air for all of us.’

‘Hear, hear,’ someone mumbled, just audible over Booker’s fingers tapping away on the keyboard.

‘You’ll have enough opportunity to pester him about his research, habilitation dissertation and what his plans are for the English department, in case you weren’t part of the appointment committee. We have a few more things on the agenda and Joe here needs to get a move on,’ Andy nodded towards him.

He noticed the new one leaning forward slightly, as if to get a good look at him. Joe acknowledged Andy with a tip of his imaginary hat and sat straight up for what was to come.

‘As you all know, we as the humanities will never have all the funding we would like to get, not with the sciences as strong as they are at this university,’ Andy sighed with the resignation of a woman who had been too often been told she would have to interest potential students with elaborate, sophisticated projects but was only given enough money for two or three per year across ten departments, ‘the finance committee couldn’t decide for the longest time because there is never a project that wouldn’t deserve to be funded. Thank you for once again for applying in these numbers, some even handing in two projects – even though we can only consider one per department, of course.’

A warning look went out to Booker who grinned and unscrewed his thermos flask in response. Joe shook his head at his friend, the man who was most likely to hand in two project applications the following term again. Before he went back to taking minutes, Booker winked at him without Andy noticing. She did not scold him for it but would send him a strongly worded e-mail later, recalling the numerous favours he owed her and telling him not to test her patience.

‘So please, a reminder, what is not approved today might be the one project making a difference next year,’ Andy turned the page of her binder and exhaled deeply, ‘the committee has given permission and funding to Professor le Livre for the _Francophonie_ anniversary event and Doctor di Genova for the _Grand Tour in English and Italian Literature_ summer school.’

‘What?’ Joe bolted forward, ‘Oh no, Andy, don’t do this to me, not again. Three times, okay, I’ve applied three times!’

‘Well then,’ Booker grinned, ‘maybe it’s time to re-think and modify your project submission for once. Can’t be the same stuff over and over again. I might hand in two projects every year but they’re original and new every time.’

‘Shut up,’ Joe slapped the table, ‘I applied three times with a good project and he waltzes in here with a PhD and grand ideas but why would a project like that get your backing? I told you, Andy, the art department needs a project, you know that as well as I do!’

‘Yes, and were it my sole decision, I would still have to decide this way,’ Andy crossed her arms, ‘I’m sorry, Joe, we simply can’t fund your project this year.’

‘Yeah, haven’t I heard that before?’ Joe gathered his papers and pushed his chair back, ‘I’ve got a class to get to, we’ll talk about this. Booker. Andy. Quynh. New guy.’

He rushed out of his room, heart beating in his throat as he thought of the course of dedicated students who had begged him to move the world and get them an opportunity to see the masters of the Renaissance in person. The implication of the meeting sat heavy in his stomach, a pit filled with fury and disappointment that wrung him dry from the inside.

The day went by in a daze, he taught his remaining class, did what paperwork was left over and returned to his flat to stew over the events of the afternoon. As relieved as he had been when Andy told them they had found a replacement for Lykon, he had to admit to himself that Doctor Nicolò di Genova had been far from what he had been able to imagine. It was one thing to replace a research professor with someone who had not yet finished his habilitation; sure, the young man deserved a chance to rise in the academic hierarchy, without doubt, but it was more to give him the funding for a new project before he had taught a single class.

He had been too busy to listen to Andy, goof off with Booker behind her back and, in the end, get enraged about the injustice that had occurred right under his nose to pay real attention to the man who had stolen what he had considered his grant. Joe held onto the feeling for the entire evening, long enough to burn his dinner, run a gouge into the carpet in his study and call Booker fifteen times between starting on the gouge and realising he had forgotten the leftovers in the oven. In the end, it was Quynh who called him first.

‘You don’t like it,’ she said in lieu of a greeting, ‘and I get it, you wanted the grant for the art department.’

‘Are you okay with it?’

‘What do you mean, Joe?’

‘You wanted that money as much as I did. Research resources for Vietnamese poetry and cultural dialogue, Quynh, are you ready to just let that go?’

‘Oh come on, what is this really about, you don’t sound like yourself,’ she sighed deep enough to tell him she had sat down on the sofa that occupied a third of her living room, ‘the English depart needs whatever support they can get right now, Andy was right about that, you know? A project will help them return to the academic stage of the university.’

‘They appointed a habilitation candidate to a position requiring a professorship, Quynh, that’s bullshit! What has he done, can you tell me? What are his achievements, how could he come in without facing any resistances? And even more importantly, why does he get that grant without having worked a single day at this university? I spent ages coming up with the project, all those scientists with the big budgets could never plan in that way.’

‘Are you quite finished?’ Her voice had an edge to it that Joe knew to be a warning but his thoughts were still spiralling, too busy to pay attention to her slipping patience, ‘Nicky was a researcher under Burton and Lykon, alright? He was Lykon’s assistant on that historical fighters in English poetry project, and Burton handpicked him as her deputy herself. He comes equipped with intimate knowledge of her methods and the passion to pick up the pieces and assemble them into something new where she had to take a step back. I know you’re disappointed right now but please, Joe, can’t you see the chance here?’

‘No, I really can’t,’ he shook his head, ‘why would I? A new guy with one of the worst accents I’ve ever heard comes in, takes the money that would have been fair to give to the art department and what, is supposed to teach English?’

‘He has a doctoral degree in both English and Italian, he’s versatile and incredibly nice to talk to. I met him during the job interview and got to see his CV, he’s done some impressive stuff throughout the last years, the students will love him. Oh, that might actually be the reason why he hasn’t got his habilitation, yet, he seems to work on everybody else’s project first but he’s so close to finishing it,’ Quynh skirted the question, ‘Joe, Andy is giving me the evil eye from the sofa, I really –‘

‘I know she’s not the only one on that committee but there is no way I won’t take offence at this treatment of a longstanding member of the faculty,’ Joe poked at the charcoaled remains of his dinner and threw his fork onto the plate a moment later, ‘it’s not fair, she knows it and that supercilious oaf can fuck off back to wherever he comes from, for all I care!’

He hung up on her, knowing that she would be angry with him for a few days but he could take no more praises of the young supposed high-flyer, no matter who had recommended him. For a moment, he let his head sink against the wall and breathed the tension in his stomach away.

On the sixteenth try, Booker answered his phone, ‘Hey Joe, are you still moping?’

‘I am not moping.’

‘You so are,’ Booker laughed at him and Joe grumbled a little, not willing to admit just how close to the mark he hit, ‘come on, do you want to scream about him or is it something else?’

‘What else should it be, I’m just at a loss here,’ Joe sighed and massaged his temples, ‘please, Booker, can you tell me what I did to be overlooked again and again?’

‘I’m sorry, mate, I really am and I know me getting the grant can’t sit well with you either,’ Booker sounded apologetic but Joe waved it off.

‘No, but I can live with that, I know you and I know you worked your ass off for this. I don’t get why this Doctor di Genova immediately gets the job, projects and money I have spent years pursuing in one lunch meeting, either. And maybe that’s too harsh of me, maybe it’s all not justified? He might be a genius who’s secretly running three different research projects under a pseudonym.’

‘I don’t believe that.’

‘I know. He is young, though, maybe he’ll come around and surprise all of us,’ Booker sighed into his ear, ‘give him a chance, yes? You’re going to have to work together at some point, we’re all part of the same faculty!’

‘Thanks for the reminder,’ Joe dug the heels of his hands into his eye sockets, ‘I don’t think I’ll have a lot to do with him. By choice. The art department preparation rooms will see more of me again, I guess.’

‘Are you still up for lunch tomorrow, though?’

‘As long as it doesn’t come with surprises,’ Joe kicked up his feet onto the arm rest of the sofa, ‘by which I mean, no Spanish habilitation candidates showing up because you think I need to talk to him about my issues.’

‘Joe,’ Booker huffed out, ‘I’m pretty sure he’s Italian, anyway.’

‘Whatever, I don’t plan on doing a lot of talking to him. He should prove himself before we can talk, at least do some work before he comes in claiming money!’

‘Alright, just don’t tell Andy as much, return to being a hermit and see what develops out of the situation without poking the bear, she was sad enough to see Lykon leave as it is.’

Joe had to agree with him on that note. Andy and Quynh had both worked closely with Lykon before he left, instigating some of the best received projects that the faculty supported, and making a change around the university. He had come into the faculty only months after getting his own habilitation, not at all prepared to take over responsibility for a whole department but was pressured into it nonetheless after his predecessor had leave for health reasons. It had taken the trio some time to warm up to Joe once he arrived, but eventually, he had become a feature in their lives and began to hang out with them after hours, too.

‘Give him a chance, will you?’ Booker jolted him out of his thoughts but his undertone told Joe that he had been talking for a bit before he reappeared out of the memories he had shared with Andy, Quynh and Lykon, ‘Even if he’s no Lykon, he will be a part of the faculty for a bit. Come on, it’s not like Lykon died, he just left to embrace a tremendous opportunity.’

Booker made his farewell soon after and hung up after they had agreed on a place to grab lunch at the following day. Joe felt a little calmer after the chats he had had but still decided to squeeze in a workout in his bedroom, an angry set of exercises between his bed and the photography equipment leaning against the wall, before showering and falling into the pillows and blankets he kept around to cuddle into, some of them bunched up to fill his arms at night. It was something he had realised helped him sleep and relieve his spine whenever he fell asleep on his side, even though Booker had called him an old man for it when he helped him move his new bed into the flat.

Joe put the events of the day behind himself for the night and stretched out under the blanket. With his hair sticking up in all directions and a chill clinging to his cooled off skin, he could not imagine a more comfortable place than his bed. He grabbed the monograph on Claude Monet and his techniques that he had borrowed from the library and started to read, intent to finish another chapter.

He dropped off after a couple of pages, the lamp on the bedside table still on.


	2. Chapter 2

‘Nicky? I’m here to collect you for lunch, are you ready?’ Quynh leaned against the doorframe and pointed at the stack of books on his desk, ‘are those for classes or your dissertation?’

‘Both. It’s a wild mix,’ Nicky pushed his chair under the desk and pulled his jacket off the back rest, ‘are we meeting Andy at the canteen?’

‘Yes. Are you still okay to do your evaluation over lunch, even if it is only salty university canteen food and a water bottle, instead of the tea and biscuits?’

‘Sì, I don’t get much of a choice anyway, do I?’ Nicky closed the door to his office and followed Quynh down the hallway, ‘how was your colloquy?’

‘Could have been a lot worse,’ she grinned back at him over her shoulder, ‘there were some strange opinions on Vietnamese history and the influence of trade on dialects but other than that, no, nothing out of the ordinary.’

They passed the different language departments on their way to the canteen and Quynh stopped a couple of times to greet another lecturer on the way into lunch break. It was a pleasant day with only a soft breeze blowing in between the house fronts and a light drizzle coating them in a spray. Nicky buried himself in his jacket and tried to keep up with her, despite Quynh seemingly running to get from the languages to the canteen.

‘You miss her?’

‘All the time, hurry up, we could be there already!’

Nicky took a few steps that were closer to a jog and linked their arms. Quynh grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling with anticipation until they reached the canteen, got their food and found Andy sitting at her usual table with enough food piled up to get her through a day and the intense training and sparring sessions she and Quynh dragged him to. He had not imagined that the thing he would start at his new placement would be sword fighting with his colleagues but he found it to be the greatest fun he had in years.

‘Did you stop to count flowers or why are you this late? I was close to starting without you,’ Andy pushed a chair out for him, ‘sit down and take a bite, I have questions to ask you.’

‘Sure,’ he dug in and tried to wolf down his lunch before Andy and Quynh were finished greeting each other after the four hours separation of two seminars in the morning.

‘So, Doctor di Genova, have you settled in alright?’

Nicky nodded slowly whilst swallowing the last bite of his potato gratin, ‘Yes, thank you. The office is beautiful and so far, the students have shown nothing but interest for my classes.’

‘How is your habilitation dissertation coming along? I was told you tend to prioritise other things than your own progress.’

‘I have found a few resources that fit the topic perfectly, I made the breakthrough,’ Nicky noticed Andy and Quynh exchanging a look that expressed some satisfaction and pride that made him a little nervous, ‘I’m confident I will be able to publish it soon enough. It can’t be in the university’s interest to have the temporary contract run longer than it was supposed to.’

‘No, it certainly isn’t,’ Andy agreed with him, ‘the sooner you get that professorship, the better, for you, the department and the university. Are you satisfied with the opportunities we offer you here?’

‘Very much so, thank you! Not many people would have given me the job on the promise of a professorship by the end of the next term alone and I am still determined to deliver. You’re not going to regret the trust you put in me!’ Nicky sat up straighter in his chair and cleared his throat, ‘Professor Burton has left a number of instructions as to how to proceed once she’s on maternity leave. I will work through it one by one, she sorted them by importance.’

‘Of course she did,’ Quynh whispered, ‘good old Burty.’

‘How about the project? I know it’s not what you came here to do but it’s going well, isn’t it?’

‘It’s interesting enough,’ he gave her a small smile, ‘Professor Burton spent months on the structural planning and concept development, it is my honour to implement her brainchild at this university. The Great Tour through Italy, especially in connection with the Shellys and Lord Byron, is a rewarding topic to disassemble. My students and I are all anxious to get started on the research.’

‘It certainly is a great project,’ Andy nodded along, ‘and it will help the English department to rebound. They had a tough time, last year wasn’t easy on anyone in the department, Burton has complete confidence in you to continue her work.’

‘I try,’ he raked his fingers through his hair, ‘it is hard work but I enjoy it tremendously. I want to make her proud, it takes a lot to still help me even though she’s about to give birth, she supports me a lot despite her situation.’

Quynh took Andy’s hand under the table, ‘I support you, too. You can come by my office at any time, okay?’

‘Thank you, Quynh.’

‘Same. But don’t come to my office, I’ll help you if you can beat me tonight,’ Andy leaned across the table and stole the freshest looking piece of broccoli off his plate, ‘you’ll have to earn my help, I’m a very busy person.’

Nicky threw her a to finger salute that sent Quynh into a fit of giggles, ‘Don’t do that again, Nicolò, it looks ridiculous! You are too stiff and composed to pull something like that off in a casual way, there’s just no picturing you like that.’

‘Thank you, Quynh, greatly appreciated,’ he finished his gratin and pushed his tray a few centimetres away from himself, ‘any more questions?’

‘Just one. How are you getting along with the other readers?’

‘Yes, well, there are you and Quynh, of course. I’ve been out with Booker once or twice, I think. I don’t recall all the details of those evenings,’ Nicky buried his face in his hands and massaged his temples, ‘I think I’ve gotten to know almost all members of the faculty.’

‘Almost?’

‘There’s just one, I think, Professor al-Kaysani? I don’t think that we’ve even met, after the first meeting.’

‘That’s weird,’ Quynh exchanged another look with Andy, ‘he’s usually the first one to welcome a new professor.’

‘No, I don’t think I’ve seen him anywhere. I guess I won’t intrude on him, I’m in no place to do so.’

‘Oh be quiet,’ Quynh stopped him with a wave of her hand, ‘you should be getting along well, you have so many similar interests and fields of study, except for working in different departments! How have you two not started gossiping about the newest trends in arts and languages? I thought the two of you would become inseparable within days!’

‘Well, there was the hiccup at the meeting,’ Andy frowned a little at a few students who walked past them, complaining about a lecturer who had apparently been too strict when one of them had been late to class, ‘it’s really not like Joe to be this reclusive. Do you think we can get him to join your barbeque?’

‘He said he’d come. Are you in for it, Nicky?’

‘You mentioned it before, didn’t you, Quynh?’

‘Yes,’ she patted his arm, ‘and you said you’d think about it. It’s only the humanities but you’re happy to bring someone else, if you wanted to.’

‘Oh, I don’t think I know anyone outside the university yet,’ Nicky shrugged a little, ‘it’s okay, I will have time enough to meet people once I have gained my professorship. It’s all a question of prioritising, isn’t it? First research and then all those private pleasures that no one really knows.’

‘As long as you don’t take the shape of your desk chair,’ Andy raised an eyebrow at him, he could tell she was less than pleased with his apparent lack of spare time activities, ‘you’ll be at the barbeque, Nicky. That is an order.’

‘Thanks, Andy,’ he looked up from the table when another gaggle of students entered the canteen.

He recognised at least two of them from the classes he taught, some of the girls huddled together and whispered in the line leading to the serving counter. It took him a moment to place their faces into the different courses but he had found that with every week, he managed to assign more and more names and faces.

As they walked past, Nicky overheard them chatter about the way a certain spine was bent and the smudged charcoal made hard features soft and vulnerable and anyone who could command a piece of coal to do their bidding would become an automatic master of their craft. He deduced that they were art students but he also caught the delicate, sardonic eyebrow Quynh raised. There was a knowing understanding between the two women next to him that he followed with a hum.

‘Oh it’s just the annual meat market,’ Andy winked at him, ‘the first year double programmes have had enough time to meet all their lecturers and have started to compile the list.’

‘What list?’

‘We tell them not to do but they still compare professors on basis of looks and lesson concepts,’ Andy sighed, ‘Quynh is the only one who takes it serious –‘

‘- but Andy would still throw a fit if I wasn’t on top of that list,’ Quynh whispered with without trying to hide it from her girlfriend across the table, ‘and when she says I’m the only one to take it serious, she means she is the one in charge of the betting pool –‘

‘- alongside Booker!’

‘Alongside Booker,’ Quynh rolled her eyes, ‘she bets on me, Booker bets on Joe. Andy always wins.’

Nicky nodded along, ‘I guess that can be a fun thing to follow.’

Next to him, Andy sat up in her chair, still facing the door, ‘It’s like he can smell us talking about that damn list, isn’t it?’

‘What?’ Nicky turned to look.

‘Oh let me guess,’ Quynh looked giddy all of a sudden, ‘Joe just came in?’

All she got in response from Andy was another stern eyebrow, ‘That’s good, we can introduce the two of you properly that way. Hey Joe!’

She waved across the room, Quynh and Nicky followed her motion. The man who had entered the canteen, Professor Yusuf al-Kaysani, as it was written on his door in the art history department, drew eyes onto him wherever he went, not only because anyone looking at him would understand why he would be the runner up on a list ranking the professors but also because of an undeniably academic, well-studied air that surrounded him. Nicky could appreciate his looks, even though he was always paint-splattered whenever he left his studio, office or even a lecture hall. It added to the general feel of an ‘artsy vibe’ as he had heard his students describe it and it suited the professor, going by the few visual clues he had caught through doors and windows.

‘Joe, do you want to sit with us?’ Quynh kicked a chair out from under the table, ‘we were just telling Nicky here that the two of you have many interests in common. You should get together and get to know each other some time, come on, sit down and eat here!’

‘Not interested,’ the man let his gaze drift over them, ‘I’ve got to get back to my desk soon and can’t get detained with chatting.’

‘Oh what a shame,’ Quynh pouted up at him, ‘are you quite sure you have no time at all?’

‘Positive,’ Professor al-Kaysani squeezed her shoulder, ‘sorry, Quynh. Bye Andy.’

With that, he was gone, carrying his tray out of the canteen. Andy crossed her arms over her chest and looked back and forth between the retreating form of one Professor al-Kaysani and Quynh whose smile had dropped into a frown.

‘That’s weird,’ she blinked at Andy, ‘do you know why he’s like that? It’s almost as if he’s got something on his mind.’

Andy shrugged but her eagle eyes remained on the man who left the canteen with almost storm-like steps, ‘No idea but I don’t like it.’

Quynh leaned back in her chair, ‘Is this finally an opportunity to force him to acknowledge his luck in having friends like us. We should find out what rubbed him the wrong way, then we can convince him hanging out with Nicky will make it go away and ta-da, awesome friendship sorted!’

‘You hang around with too many kids every day,’ Andy massaged her temples and pushed her chair back, ‘come on, don’t we all have work to get back to?’

‘But Nicky –‘

‘It’s okay, thank you, Quynh,’ Nicky put his hand on her shoulder, ‘you can’t force people to be friends and I’m okay, really.’

‘He was rude!’

‘And that’s okay, too,’ Nicky grabbed his tray, ‘he might have a reason, or not. It’s not for us judge.’

‘You’re too nice to him. You are a new researcher who might stick around for longer, once you have the same title as him, you’ll probably end up working together,’ Andy grunted, ‘I need more coffee.’

‘You can’t force him,’ Nicky led them around to the racks to drop off their trays, ‘and I certainly won’t follow him around trying to talk to him. I have more things on my plate and if there is no way how we can interact, I won’t make it my main priority. You said it yourself, I have classes to teach and a dissertation to write!’

‘Good,’ Andy grabbed Quynh’s hand, ‘not that I condone it but it’s good to see we have a habilitation candidate who is not intimidated by a professor.’

‘Why would I be, he would have been in the same situation as me just a few years ago?’

‘True, Joe is what, three years older than him?’ Quynh shot Andy a questioning look, ‘he had to fight hard to get here, you know? Europe still has its problems with immigrants, no matter how well-educated and integrated they are.’

‘That’s rubbish, anyway,’ Andy held the door open for her as they left the canteen and began their march back to their respective departments, ‘Joe grew up moving around between countries, he must have learned more languages than we speak added all together between us, and he still speaks them. We’ve all been wondering what got him into arts, you know, he could easily teach at the languages department.’

‘Mhm,’ Nicky followed them, ‘thank you for telling me. I think I’ll head back and keep working on the dissertation, I found a great monograph that just about covers the last inconsistency I still had open. I’d rather get back to it soon, I’m almost sure I had a thought that made perfect sense in the conclusion.’

‘Sure,’ Quynh turned out of Andy’s embrace and pushed herself onto her tiptoes to ruffle his hair, ‘remember, barbeque! I’ll send you the address, okay?’

‘Good luck,’ Andy gave him a knowing look, caught somewhere between encouraging and pitying, ‘you’ll do great, kid.’

He turned and waved at them. Their offices in the Ancient History and the Southeast Asian Studies department were closer towards the other end of the campus whereas Nicky and the English department were at the centre of the humanities. As he passed the reception desk, the man on duty, Copley, if he remembered correctly, handed him some mail and a few research interlibrary loans he had ordered, some for his classes and others for his dissertation.

‘Are you heading to your office, sir?’

‘Nicky, please. I’m not even a professor.’

‘Sure. I have some deliveries here for Professor le Livre, if you wouldn’t mind dropping them on his desk; I called up but he did not answer his phone.’

‘Of course,’ Nicky took the envelopes and continued up the stairs, grinning about Booker not answering his phone. Within days of starting, he had found out that his colleague not only had a coffee machine but also a sofa in his office and made use of them, too.

He had to cross the French department anyway and if he caught Booker in the right mood, there was a good chance he could get his hands on the only good coffee to be found anywhere around the university. It had taken them less than one lunch break reminiscing about the coffee they were used from home to bond and share the first espresso in the privacy of the French department.

Nicky had almost reached Booker’s office and could already see the door standing ajar, when he heard voices, almost in argument but at least not agreeing with each other. It took him less than the three steps he had still to cross to discern between them. One of them was the slow drawl Booker was prone to utter when he had just woken from a nap. The other was the voice of Professor al-Kaysani, the man he had just seen leaving the canteen with his lunch.

‘So,’ judging by the way Booker slurred his words, he had been awake less than ten minutes, ‘are you going to tell me why exactly you have to have lunch in my office? I’m not complaining, I just thought you had your own?’

‘I met Andy and Quynh in the canteen.’

‘And? Let me guess, they were eating?’

A huff silenced Booker, ‘Yes, of course they were but that’s not the point here! They were eating with the English guy, di Genova? Is that his name?’

‘Joe, I’m fairly sure you know exactly what his name is.’

‘Anyway, they invited me to eat with them.’

‘Oh no, how could they! The insult, the nerve, the audacity!’

‘Stop mocking me! I’m serious about this, okay? I can’t believe they are just okay with this situation.’

‘Are you still going on about that grant for the projects?’ Booker began to sound more awake, ‘Joe, you have to let it go, okay? Nothing changes this year’s distribution, try again next year and change the concept, for once. I keep telling you, if you tweaked it just a little –‘

‘Not my point,’ al-Kaysani seemed to be walking up and down in the office, ‘my point is that he came in and within minutes of him being introduced, he already got the grant for a project no one ever heard about! I can’t accept that, okay? He’s still wet behind the ears but comes along with what? The experience and edge you need in the academic world? A resume of written and published essays, articles and monographs? Has he even set foot out of a university in his life, has he worked and gotten his hands dirty? I can’t believe they gave him the grant when I’ve been trying to get the tiniest department more into the spotlight!’

‘Oh come on, Joe,’ Booker groaned, ‘we both know art history is not the smallest department.’

‘Still beside the point, I’m just saying he doesn’t deserve it.’

Nicky felt something inside him drop to somewhere south of his stomach. He stood rooted to the spot in an empty hallway, surrounded by posters that proposed exchange programmes to French universities, the upcoming lecture series and guidelines for the writing of term papers. For the first time since he had started his new job, the position he had hoped would propel his career and open up options for him to grow in his research and studies, he felt at a loss for thoughts, unable to grasp what he had overheard. Whatever Quynh and Andy had told him in the canteen, over reheated food and the barely hidden looks from students who recognised them and watched as they ate, had disappeared from his mind and cold anger washed over him.

He pushed the door open and strode into the room, ‘Copley asked me to drop these off for you. On any other day, I would have begged you for a coffee but there is no mistaking I should not linger.’

‘Nicky,’ Booker took the envelopes he held out for him, surprise written in his face, ‘thank you for saving me the way. Come on, you can have a proper coffee, between the three of us, we should know how important good coffee is.’

Nicky straightened out his jacket and combed his hair out of his face, letting his gaze drift over the paint-splattered clothes he had admired earlier, ‘No thank you. I’d better go and work on gaining experience in the academic world.’

Booker looked stunned for only a moment, then he broke out into a grin and patted him on the arm, ‘Come by later, alright? We can’t have you run around all day without proper coffee, your poor students!’

Nicky nodded in his direction before leaving again, as quick and with little impact as intended. Professor al-Kaysani still leaned against the bookshelf on the side when he left, a spring in his step that could only be accounted to the knowledge he had taken a clear position. After everything he had worked through to reach a point at which he was able to look at his day and be satisfied with what he had done, he was prepared to risk alienating a man who had not even made an effort to get to know him in in the first place.

He had grown out of the need to please anyone he met. If Professor al-Kaysani had decided to look down on him for his age in the position he held, Nicky would not contest him. In response, the man could not expect anything from him, but Nicky found that he did not care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say Hello on [the Old Guard blog](https://died-by-the-scimitar.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This marks the end of the first installment of my Joe/Nicky Professors AU! I can't wait to continue this mini project :)

‘I’m scared.’

‘Hm.’

‘I mean it, all this could easily turn into a disaster. Do you think we need barrier tape to divide the garden into a Nicky and a Joe zone?’

‘Quynh?’

‘Yes, my love?’

‘Go to sleep. Please!’ Andy rolled onto her side, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in, back under the duvet.

Quynh allowed her to snuggle into her shoulder but her thoughts still ran wild, ‘I’m just confused, you know? How did we get to this point, what exactly happened to make them hate each other?’

‘Are you going to sleep once we had this discussion? Because then, I might actually be up for this right now at,’ Andy peeked through her already closed eyes to read the clock on the nightstand, ‘two in the morning.’

‘Yes!’ Quynh bolted to sit upright in bed, ‘Okay, so, do you know what happened? They are so similar in their interests and paths of life, I thought it would be natural for them to spend all their breaks together, and Nicky could have profited from Joe having finished his degree just as Joe could profit from Nicky bringing in a fresh perspective. Why can’t they see how perfectly matched they would be as friends?’

Andy sighed and propped herself up against the pillows, rubbing at her eyes, ‘Because they would be even better off together.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘They would be even better for each other together. It’s not friendship, you see? What they have and where they’re heading, I’d say they are halfway in love already but both are too stubborn to see it.’

‘Well, they better figure it out soon,’ Quynh sighed and let her head fall back against the wall, ‘the students have started to notice.’

‘What do you mean, the students have noticed?’

‘Oh come on, it really is clear as day; I mean exactly that,’ she tried to spot Andy’s face in the darkness of the room, ‘there are rumours going around the departments, of Professor al-Kaysani and Doctor di Genova ignoring each other in the hallway, of snide comments made about rivalry between the lecturers and at least one said they’d seen an eye-roll in the canteen.’

‘Sure, and your point? These are not rumours, we were there for the eye-roll. It’s hardly a secret,’ Andy moved under the blanket, wrapping her legs around it with a stretch of her feet, ‘so the two of them have a bit of a rivalry going, it’s not the worst thing that could happen.’

‘There is a betting pool and Booker is the one running it out of his Advanced French course.’

‘What?’

‘I just told you, he is running the betting pool from his course –‘

‘That’s not what I meant, he is running a bet and he did not ask me to participate? I’m going to give him a piece of my mind tomorrow, how can he do that knowing I would win that bet?’

‘Maybe because he knows that?’ Quynh sighed, ‘you’re already formulating what you’re going to tell him, aren’t you? Just make sure Nicky and Joe don’t hear about this, I want the barbeque to be a nice get together amongst colleagues, okay?’

‘Of course,’ Andy wrapped her arms around her waist, ‘now, will you finally lie down and let me sleep in peace? You know that everything is planned and organised, there is nothing you could possibly change up now.’

‘You’re right,’ she slipped down into the embrace offered by her partner, ‘a garden party without surprises or drama.’

‘You are going to regret saying that,’ Andy murmured, pressing her nose into her shoulder, ‘before that damn party even starts.’

She was right and Quynh knew it. By the time the first guests arrived, she had already had a fight with the caterer about the desserts and managed to banish Andy to the grill. It was a welcome surprise to see Joe and Booker enter together, both carrying flowers for their hosts.

‘You shouldn’t have,’ Quynh took her bouquet from Joe, ‘Andy is putting on the first sausages and potatoes, I think.’

Booker kissed her on the cheek and went to join her on the terrace. Quynh sighed and pulled Joe into the house, just in time before voices grew louder.

‘Is that Andy?’

‘Booker must have annoyed her. You know how they are,’ she grabbed a vase and filled it with water for the flowers, ‘these are beautiful, Joe, thank you very much.’

‘Pretty flowers for pretty women,’ he shrugged and watched as she moved the vase around the room, searching for the best spot, ‘I heard something quite amusing in one of my classes today.’

‘Oh yes?’

‘Yes, I have the first year students in their basic art history course, and apparently, there is someone who does English and art.’

‘That is a useful combination,’ Quynh watched his expression change, going through a journey of emotions as he tried to compose himself enough to find words, ‘they will have loads of opportunities, if things go right.’

‘If things go – Quynh, she seems convinced the English department is doing a great job right now, with all the courses they offer. She had the nerve to tell me, to my face, that she doesn’t just take Doctor di Genova’s classes, every single one, but also that he is her favourite lecturer and she is already excited for the research project.’

‘I don’t see your point,’ she set down the vase on the windowsill, casting a look at Andy and Booker who were deep in conversation but no longer yelling at each other which led her to believe her partner had paid into the betting pool and agreed on a rate with him, ‘how does agreeing with Nicky’s teaching make you look like a lemon in April?’

His lips twitched into a smile that dropped again before she could really enjoy it. The expression he wore was a little off, not at all what she was used from him.

‘Did she really tell you how much she liked his classes like that?’

‘No, I overheard her talking in the classroom,’ Joe leaned against the wall, ‘If only I knew what’s so special about him that makes the whole university swoon over him! It’s as if everybody lost their minds, all of a sudden; he has done nothing so far, to leave any impression, and still, all I hear anywhere is di Genova.’

‘Jealous?’ She grinned when she noticed Joe flinch a little as his eyes darted back to her, ‘oh, I’m sorry, is something distracting you before the official start of my famous garden party? Are you maybe keeping an eye out for a certain habilitation candidate out there?’

‘Don’t be ridiculous! And the party has already started,’ Joe returned to the door and opened it for her, ‘he’s late.’

‘I beg to differ,’ Quynh grinned and walked past him, towards the man who stood in the middle of the terrace and seemed to look around for someone, ‘Welcome, dearest Nicky, I’m so glad you could come today!’

‘Quynh!’ His face lit up with a small smile, ‘I am so sorry, I thought I was late already. Professor Burton had her baby today, I needed to arrange a few things she would have worked on from home otherwise.’

‘The baby’s here? That’s wonderful, did you talk to her already, what is it?’ She grabbed his arm and dragged him along, past Joe who still stood in the door and watched, towards Andy who showed Booker something on the table she used for all her meat cuts and barbeque supplies, ‘Andy, the baby’s here!’

‘Yes, Quynh, I can see you found Nicky, I’m not blind,’ Andy placed some vegetable pockets wrapped in kitchen foil on the grid.

Booker snorted out a laughter and ducked away with a quick greeting in Nicky’s direction. It left Quynh to glare at Andy.

‘That was rude! No, Burty had the baby,’ she explained, ignoring the way Nicky seemed to try and blend into the background, ‘the actual baby, Andy!’

‘She did?’ Andy turned away from the grill and hugged Nicky briefly, ‘that’s marvellous. See, Quynh, you can finally send off that gift basket you have kept in our bedroom for the last month.’

‘That gift basket is a wonderful, thought out thing of magic and love, don’t drag it down, Andy,’ she turned around to Nicky, ‘will you let her know we are overjoyed with the news and want to be updated as soon as possible, if you talk to her before we do.’

‘Of course,’ Nicky nodded, ‘is there some sort of code for tonight? I have to admit, I haven’t been to many garden parties.’

‘Oh, it’s very simple,’ Quynh pointed around the filling garden, ‘go around, talk to people, make friends. Be here when Andy hands out some grilled food and get a beer from the table behind Booker, yes?’

‘Thank you!’ He turned and retreated, hands shoved into the pockets of the suit he wore, seemingly the only one of their colleagues who had opted for formal wear.

‘Look at him, like a fawn making his first teetering steps,’ Andy laughed behind her, ‘how was your talk with Joe? He looks pissed off.’

‘Stubborn as a mule,’ Quynh sighed and shrugged, ‘please tell me you’ll try and get through to them. I don’t like seeing them like this, it’s not good and will only cause even more bad blood and grim faces.’

‘I have it on good authority that Nicky doesn’t intend to talk to Joe either, if he doesn’t show him at least a little respect and concession. After all, and I told him I backed that thought, he has his PhDs and a very good position at the university.’

‘Well, yes, they are both stubborn and idiots for not seeing what is right in front of them,’ Quynh took her hand for a second to get her attention, ‘what did you bet on, though?’

‘I told Booker they would be friends within a week from today.’

‘Then you better help me, darling.’

Quynh kept an eye on Nicky, as he socialised more and more with colleagues of different departments. He seemed to make good conversation with most of them, participating in a small group of language professors who seemed keen on exchanging research resources and university gossip. It seemed like he had found something to eat and drink as well, holding a plate with some salads and cut fruit in one hand and balancing a beer in the other as he listened to what one of the older colleagues had to say.

‘Is your plan working yet?’ Andy appeared by her side, a platter with grilled meats in her hands.

‘No, look at them, they are in different corners of the garden. Nothing can get them even close to each other. It’s like oil and water, they don’t mingle. They talk to the same people, just not together in the same group,’ Quynh sighed and grabbed a skewer off the platter, ‘what am I doing wrong?’

Andy pressed a quick, rushed kiss to her cheek, ‘You have their best interests at heart, but you have to go approach this matter like business.’

She ventured past her, a confident smirk on her lips. Quynh followed her a moment later, questions on her lips that she needed some time for to form them.

‘What are you doing? What do you mean? And why do I get the feeling you bet a lot of money on that wager? Andy, come on, what are you doing?’

‘I’m doing everybody a favour,’ Andy opens the gate and points to a car that has pulled into their driveway, ‘there you finally are, what took you so long?’

‘I am deeply sorry, traffic was the absolute worst,’ Lykon came up to her and gave her a hug, lifting her up and twirling her around, “it’s so good of you to invite me to the party! Hi Quynh!’

‘Lykon!’ She ran towards both of them, stopping short to hit her girlfriend in the side, ‘You could have told me!’

‘Oh yes, I could have but surprising you is still the best way to go about it!’ Lykon hugged her as well, holding both of them in his arms for a moment, ‘I brought wine.’

‘Thank you so much, we needed a good wine,’ Andy took the bottle from him with an eye-roll, ‘Booker and Joe are somewhere around.’

‘I should go say hello, I haven’t seen Joe since he helped me move my TV down to the car so it wouldn’t get damaged,’ Lykon grinned at them and ran off, into the garden.

‘Wait for it,’ Andy winked at her, ‘Three, two, one –‘

‘Lykon! What in all the world are you doing here?’ Joe’s voice was clear to hear throughout the garden, ‘I thought you were somewhere far away from here!’

‘Of course I’m here, I can’t miss Quynh and Andy’s garden party!’

‘See,’ Andy took her arm, ‘it’s all going according to plan. Now, we can enjoy our party. May I say, your dress looks absolutely stunning?’

‘Oh, this old thing?’ Quynh twirled around under her arm, ‘Just something I threw on.’

‘It looks amazing,’ Andy followed the back neckline with a finger, “I would argue, though, that something’s missing in that outfit.’

‘What? I am even carrying a purse today,’ Quynh held it out for her to see.

‘I’m not talking about the dress, or your purse, or the shoes,’ Andy slipped her arm around her neck and pulled her in for a kiss, ‘I’m talking about the right jewellery for it all.’

‘Oh Andy, I think I have enough necklaces. The one you brought back from Thessaloniki is still the most thoughtful gift I have ever received,’ Quynh turned back to her.

‘I was more thinking a ring,’ Andy held her open hand out, the small ring box popped open, ‘that is, if you want it.’

‘Andy, are you nuts?’

‘You tell me,’ she grinned at her, ‘come on, Quynh, don’t leave me hanging.’

‘You didn’t even properly ask me,’ Quynh pulled her hand back and pouted at her, ‘there was no question mark in that sentence!’

‘Okay, okay, I’ll add a question mark!’ Andy sighed and raked her fingers through her hair, ‘Quynh, my love, my life, will you marry me?’

She swayed on the spot, grinning and beaming at her, ‘Of course I will. That you even had to ask…’

Andy slipped the ring onto her finger and gave her another kiss, this time not letting her go immediately, ‘I love you.’

‘I love you, too. Do we tell everybody today?’

‘One of the reasons why I needed Lykon to be here. I wouldn’t announce it without him here,’ Andy pressed another kiss to her mouth, ‘but if you’re fine with it we can tell everybody.’

‘Brilliant,’ Quynh grabbed her hand, ‘let’s go I need to show off this ring.’

With that, she turned around and pulled her along, ‘Everybody, guess who just proposed to me?’

The onslaught was immediate. With colleagues and friends already there, Andy got more hugs than usually in a year. Joe and Lykon nearly tore them apart in their joy, lifting them up and nearly knocking them over with their overflowing energy. Booker inspected the ring on her finger and nodded, telling her with a wink it was a real stone and Andy would be unable to ever disappoint her if she went all out on the engagement already. Quynh thanked him with a smile and an eye-roll, reminding him that neither of them planned on ever disappointing the other.

Once the first tidal wave of congratulations was over, Quynh spotted Nicky hovering to the side, seemingly waiting for everybody else to step aside or unsure whether he wanted to say anything at all. She decided to take the choice out of his hands, pushed past Lykon with a playful shove and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

‘I am happy, Nicky,’ she exclaimed and squealed into his ear, ‘hold me so I don’t combust out of joy.’

‘Congratulations, Quynh. I am happy for you and Andy. The two of you will become even more radiant and beautiful in this final combination of your souls and love,’ Nicky squeezed her and lifted her off the ground, his arms holding her up without wavering, ‘you deserve the world, both of you, and you are so good for each other, it’s almost as if you are each other’s world. Everybody can see it.’

‘Oh you are too sweet, Nicky,’ she stayed in his arms even after he set her down again, ‘thank you! I can’t believe this is happening today, of all days.’

She looked around, saw Andy still talking to Joe and Booker, and waved Lykon closer who, in turn, had taken to hovering close to them. Quynh knew a chance when it presented itself.

‘Lykon, do you know Nicky? Have the two of you met, already?’

‘What?’ Lykon turned around and grinned at her when he spotted Nicky next to her, ‘Oh yes, I was there for your interview, wasn’t I? You spoke on the jester’s position in King Lear and compared it to the Arthuriana. An impressive study topic, Doctor di Genova!’

‘And you,’ Nicky took the hand Lykon extended for him, ‘I remember your comments after my trial lesson. You were very kind.’

Lykon grinned and pulled him into a hug, ‘I am just relieved we found you, Burty is immensely pleased with you, she told me as much. Someone told me she had the baby?’

‘She did,’ Nicky nodded, ‘I sorted everything in the office and we did have a last meeting last week, in preparation for this. Without doubt, she will call me within the next few days because she doesn’t trust me to keep to her plans.’

Lykon tugged him away by the elbow, towards the buffet. Quynh watched them with a satisfied grin. By the time they had loaded their plates with food and snacks, they were deep in conversation, discussing the advantages of different research theories and comparing experiences made in Italy. She joined them as Lykon retold a story from an earlier study tour around the north of the country, only for Nicky to join in and ask questions to reveal that Lykon had visited his university before.

‘That was when I knew I wanted to find out more about the Great Tour because I essentially followed all these people in their tracks,’ Lykon filled two glasses with the fruit punch, ‘I have to say, I did not expect that idea to become reality when I suggested it to Professor Burton.’

Nicky nodded slowly, accepting one of the glasses, ‘We were funded with that project. Professor Burton and I spent a lot of time going through the plans again and again to make sure it was fool proof but there was nothing that would have been a weakness. You must have spent weeks coming up with every detail, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better, more thought-out research plan. It was a joy to take over.’

Lykon chuckled and put an arm around his shoulders, ‘You can’t imagine how thankful and relieved I was when you agreed to take it on. Not all candidates for the job were as forthcoming, the least of them even asked about what my plan with it had been and not a single one of them lit up at the mention as you did. When Burty suggested to take you on, I felt like my project would be in good hands and it became a bit easier to say goodbye.’

‘Knowing that you would return for all the important things?’ Quynh sipped on her punch and let her eyes wander.

When she caught Andy’s eye behind Nicky, she could no longer hold in a grin. She continued to listen to the conversation between the two, just as Nicky began to once again list the exact things he loved about the project Lykon had devised long before he transferred. Lykon replied in kind, and within minutes, they had found a new topic in discussing Professor Burton’s genius and Nicky’s habilitation thesis in detail, resulting in Lykon getting rather shiny eyes.

She gave both men a pat on the back, hugged Lykon once more and pressed a kiss on his cheek before making her round towards Andy. Her fiancé, she thought and wrapped her arms around her waist, squeezing her tight for good measure.

‘Joe went into the pavilion,’ Andy turned in the embrace and kissed her softly.

‘Why would I need to know where Joe is right now?’

‘Because you’re fucking plot worked,’ Andy shook her head, ‘he overheard Lykon talk about his idea for the research project, turned beet-red and ran to hide in the pavilion.’

‘Really? What a coincidence,’ Quynh hummed and nuzzled her neck, ‘for them to be talking about the very thing Joe still holds a grudge for, making him an absolute ass towards Nicky, just as he walks past. You know I love Joe dearly but he tends to get ahead of himself and rushes into situations and judgements before he even takes a moment to think.’

‘Outright devious,’ Andy grinned, ‘but did you think to include Nicky in your little plot?’

‘No, why?’

‘Because there’s a good chance he’ll just blow him off, if Joe approaches him with an apology and an explanation. That boy can hold a grudge just as well as Joe, you know?’ Andy threaded their fingers together and pulled Quynh in, ‘This is far from over, babe. I still have a bet to win. Will you talk to Joe?’

Quynh whined a little, letting her fiancé hear what she thought of letting her go again but Andy’s eyes were big and shiny and she too weak to say no to them, ‘Alright, I will, but you owe me food afterwards.’

She unwound Andy’s arms from around her waist and sighed deeply. Behind her, Booker laughed at something Nicky said, looking altogether pleased with himself. Quynh made her way over to the small pavilion Andy had built herself, designing it to fit their imaginations perfectly. Inside, Joe sat on the bench they had installed around the brazier.

‘Hey, Quynh,’ he looked up from his hands that he had fiddled with, ‘did you know that Lykon devised and planned the project the English department got the funds for?’

‘It wasn’t necessarily a secret,’ she shrugged and sat down next to him, ‘why?’

‘Because I’ve made very sure to treat him in the least respectful way I could imagine,’ Joe buried his face in his hands, ‘I guess he just came here to finish his thesis, work and contribute to the academic life here.’

‘Really, Joe, what a surprise, it’s almost as if all of us told you so.’

‘I know,’ he rubbed at his eyes, ‘I should go apologise to him for making an ass of myself.’

‘You should.’

‘Quynh?’

‘Hm?’

‘Do you think it’ll work?’

‘Apologising to the young habilitation candidate whom you made snide comments about from Day One? The one who overheard you vent to Booker about how unfair it was that he was given anything because he hasn’t been in the game as long?’

Joe groaned and Quynh grinned, seeing his discomfort as a sign of betterment under the circumstances, ‘I mean, you can try. He might even listen to you. Can you remember being a young researcher and starting on the big projects, hm? You wouldn’t want someone as a colleague who doubted you from the beginning and didn’t deign you the option to even prove yourself. You know well enough that at some point, we all needed to take on something bigger than our paygrade to get any further, and Nicky is at exactly that point in his career. So I would advise you to think before you talk to him again, and maybe remember what it was like. I suppose, it’s already a big thing that you started thinking. It’s just sad it needed Lykon to come back for a visit for you to even have the inkling of an idea your behaviour might be inappropriate.’

Joe groaned and looked up at her, ‘Should I apologise tonight?’

‘Joe, you’re an adult man with a job and a couple of titles,’ she shrugged and pushed herself onto her feet, ‘figure it out yourself. You still have some thinking to do.’

‘I do?’

‘Duh,’ Quynh patted his head, ‘think about this; would you still apologise if you’d just realised that you behaved shitty? Or did you only feel like you should apologise because you realised the project Nicky got the funding for is actually based on Lykon’s idea?’

‘Quynh,’ Joe let his head knock into the wooden beams that held the roof and the numerous vines and blooms that were part of the meticulous planting plan Andromache had inflicted on their garden, ‘do you think there’s even the sliver of a chance that he’ll even listen, let alone forgive me?’

‘That, old chap, is an answer you’ll only be able to get when you tell him,’ Quynh patted his shoulder and left the pavilion again, throwing out her arms as she walked away, still looking back at him.

‘Yes,’ Joe ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes finding Nicky under the cherry tree, joking around with Lykon and Booker, his hand resting on his chest as he threw back his head in a full body laugh that made his eyes water and his hair fly, ‘I will talk to him, at some point soon. I promise.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say Hello on [Tumblr](https://died-by-the-scimitar.tumblr.com/)!

**Author's Note:**

> Say Hello on [Tumblr](https://died-by-the-scimitar.tumblr.com/) :)


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